Ecommerce Conversations

Before Shopify, YouTube, and Facebook, there was OverstockArt. David Sasson launched the company on the Yahoo Store platform in 2002 in Wichita, Kansas. It sells original, hand-painted reproductions of works by Van Gogh, Monet, and more.

Much has changed since 2002, but not Sasson's passion and resilience. He has faced legal crises, replatforms, and competitors. Yet OverstockArt thrives.

In this episode, he shares his journey, outlook, and advice for budding entrepreneurs.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rIT

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

No one can accuse ecommerce copywriter Chris Orzechowski of mimicking others. In an era of image-heavy emails, he prefers plain text. Amid the Facebook-Google advertising juggernaut, he likes X.

Orzechowski is an 11-year writer and marketer, first as a freelancer and then, in 2020, at Orzy, the agency he founded.

In this episode, he addresses his keys to successful product copy, frustration with Meta, and migration to X Ads.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rAx

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com

Rabah Rahil first appeared on this podcast in September 2022. He was the chief marketing officer of Triple Whale, an analytics platform. He addressed customer acquisition, attribution, and more.

He’s now the CMO of Fermàt Commerce, a SaaS provider of customized customer journeys. Founded in 2021, it has raised nearly $30 million in venture capital funding.

In this episode, Rahil discusses Fermàt’s software, target customers, and his role with the company.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rwr

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

The post-Covid ecommerce hangover has hit Roman Khan. He launched his first direct-to-consumer brand in 2013, acquired others, and in 2021 founded Peak 21, an aggregator with equity investors. The outlook was good.

Fast forward to 2024, and many ecommerce companies are struggling. Mergers and acquisitions have cratered. Yet Khan perseveres. His team reviews dozens of purchase candidates every month, albeit cautiously.

In this conversation, Khan shares his investment criteria, current market conditions, and predictions for a recovery.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rpD

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   


******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com

Faraz Kahn began losing his hair at age 21. Years later, when searching for startup business ideas, he focused on own experience. The result is Fully Vital, a direct-to-consumer seller of hair loss serums and supplements that he launched in 2021.

In this episode, Kahn addresses his launch of Fully Vital, marketing challenges, and lessons learned along the way.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rli

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   

******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

BGR is a media site covering consumer technology, such as games and devices. Jonathan Geller launched the company in 2006 and sold it to Penske Media in 2010. He remains its president and general manager.

The site has long relied on organic search traffic, which it monetizes with advertising and affiliate commissions. But the tsunami of low-grade AI content has upended search rankings and thus BGR's business.

In this episode, Geller addresses the future of search engines, the era of weak content, the importance of branding, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6ri7

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel.   


******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Phillip Jackson launched Future Commerce in 2016. The company produces articles, newsletters, and podcasts focusing on coming trends and developments in business.

He believes commerce produces a gentler society, one that fosters culture and stability. Commerce is culture, he states.

In this episode, he discusses his company's mission, large versus small brands, the maturity of ecommerce, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6rdY

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review.   

******
The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Study a successful entrepreneur, and you'll likely uncover resilience. Take Aaron Marino. Twenty years ago his first business, a fitness center, failed, leaving him with half a million dollars of debt. 

Fast-forward to 2024, and Marino is a YouTube celebrity and thriving serial entrepreneur, mainly with men's grooming products.

He first appeared on the podcast in 2020. In this episode, he discusses failure, success, helping others, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6r8F

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   


******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Jake Zaratsian is a content creator at Jungle Scout, the Amazon seller platform. He's also a part-time brand owner on that marketplace, selling disposable dinnerware plates made from palm leaves. Curious, we asked him, "Why palm plates?"

He cited three reasons. He sought a product with at least 300 monthly sales, a selling price of $20 each, and consumable for repeat buyers. Disposable palm-leaf plates fit the need.

In this episode, Zaratsian addresses dos and don'ts for Amazon sellers, Jungle Scout's tools, and much more. 

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6qRe

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   

******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com 

Andrew Faris once managed huge Meta Ad budgets while CEO of ecommerce brands. He still manages huge budgets, but now at his agency on behalf of ad clients. 

We asked him for pointers on advertising bread-and-butter commodity-type products.

"Directness is the answer," he replied. "The more tightly you communicate your product and what it does, the better."

This is Faris's third appearance on the podcast. In 2022 he discussed his career transition, having left the CEO role. Last year he addressed his new agency and its focus on Meta Ads management.

This interview continues with Meta advertising — testing, tactics, creative, and more.

For an edited and condensed transcript with embedded audio, see: https://pec-ly.com/?6r0W

For all condensed transcripts with audio, see: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/tag/podcasts

Listener reviews of Ecommerce Conversations elevate visibility and help others experience the lessons of online entrepreneurs. We invite you to leave a review on this channel if you're so moved.   

******

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to help online merchants improve their businesses. We do this with expert articles, podcasts, and webinars. We are an independent publishing company founded in 2005 and unaffiliated with any ecommerce platform or provider. http://www.practicalecommerce.com